Trolley-pole connection.



PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907.

JIM. OLINGER. TROLLEY POLE CONNECTION.

APPLIOATION FAILED 4212.28.1906.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

JACOB M. OLINGER, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

TROLLEY-POLE CONNECTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1907.

Application filed April 28, 1906. Serial No. 314,286.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, JAooB M. OLINGER, a cltiaen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Pole Connections, which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

is invention relates to trolley-pole connections, and hasfor its object to provide a simple, efficient, and readily-operated detachable connection between the base or lower end of the trolley-pole and the support by which said pole is connected to the car.

Trolley-poles frequently become so bent or otherwise injured as to become useless; and the primary object of my invention is to provide for the ready removal of such a pole and its replacing by another pole in good condition, such other pole being available in most trolley-cars which are provided with a pole at each end, the removal and replacing being effected entirely by hand without requiring the use of tools of any kind and being conveniently and rapidly eflected even by an unskilled operator.

To the foregoing ends the invention consists in certain novel features, which I will now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a structure embodying my invention in one form. Fig. 2 is a plan view of so much of the structure as differs from the ordinary standard trolley-support. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of what is shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line a; a: of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the line y y of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 6 is a detail view ofthe base spring connection, and Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 2 z of Fig. 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the said drawings, 1 represents a car on the roof of which is mounted a trolley-support comprising a base 2 and a standard or turret 3, mounted to swivel thereon around a vertical axis. This standard carries the usual guide-rod 4 to receive the coiled spring 5 and the keeper or cross-head 6, which cooperates therewith. Said support further oomprises an arm 7, pivotall connected to the standard 3 by means 0 lugs 8, the pivot,

which is horizontal, being indicated at 9. Said arm further comprises lugs 10 to receive the tension-rods 11, which connect said arm to the keeper or cross-head 6. These parts so far as they have been described may be of any standard constructionsuch, for instance, as that shown. The arm 7 is, how ever, particularly constructed for the reception 0 the trolley-pole base, and to that end its outer portion is formed into a trough-like extension 12, defined by marginal flanges or webs 13. At the outer end of these flanges or webs there are formed inwardly-directed hook-like projections 14, and near the inner end of said arm there are formed oppositelydirected hook-like projections 15. These latter receive the trunnions 16 of an abutment-collar 17, which latter is thus pivoted near the inner end of said arm 7 upon a pivot which is horizontal and transverse with res ect to the arm. To hold the trunnions of the collar 17 in place, pins 18 are passed through the projecting ends of said trunnions, the hook-shaped members being provided with In s 19, which lie on opposite sides of the headso said pins, while the other ends of said pins are extended downward through slots 20 in webs or flanges 21, which extend laterally outward from the flanges 13 at this point. Sufficient space is left, however, between the said ins and these retaining devices to permit t fie collar 17 to rock upon its transverse axis in the manner hereinafter described.

The trolley-pole (indicated by the reference-numeral 22) has its lower end provided with a base adapted to engage the arm 7, said base comprising a socket or clamp composed of two members 23 and 24, forming, in eflect,

half-sleeves which clamp the lower end of the trolley between them, being rovided for this purpose with lugs 25, w 'ch receive clamping-bolts 26. One of the two members, in the present instance the lower member 23, is provided with projections 27, shown in the form of studs or pins constituting extensions of the two outermost lugs of said member. These projections are adapted to engage the hook-like members 14. of the arm 7, the recesses of which arefshaped to receive and hold them, said projections fitting said recesses. The base further comprises a tailpiece or extension 28, shown in the present instance as formed in one piece with the socket member 23. This extension is adapted to pass through the opening of the collar 17 and forms a guide and support for a spring 29, which is coiled thereon and secured thereto. The method of securing said spring which I prefer is that illustrated in detail in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings. struction the end of the tailpiece 28 adjacent to the socket is provided with a collar 30, in which is formed a spiral groove 31, adapted to receive the similarly-shaped coils at that end of the spring 29. The groove 31 has formed near its end a shoulder 32, and the portion of the spring which lies in that portion of the groove is bent or deflected inward, so as to form a shoulder 33 on the spring, which engages with the shoulder 32 of the groove and prevents the spring from rotating relatively to the collar, and thus working itself loose.

From a consideration of the foregoing de scription it will be seen that when the parts are in the position shown in the drawings, with the trolley-pole connected to the support, the spring 29, bearing against the collar 17 of the arm as an abutment at one end and against the collar 30 of the base at the other end, forces the base outward, so as to hold its projections 27 firmly in engagement with the recesses of the hook-like members 14 of the arm. When it is desired to disengage or remove the pole, all that is necessary is to exert suflicient pressure upon the pole in the direction of its length to so compress the spring 29 as to permit the projections 27 to pass clear of the hook-like members 14, whereupon the pole may be swung upward, the collar 17 permitting this movement by turning on its trunnions until the projections 27 are above the hook members 14. The pole can then be disengaged by drawing it out from the collar 17, when the pole and its base are free and entirely disconnected from the support. The same pole may be replaced or another put in position in its stead by the reversal of these operations. The end of the tailpiece or extension 28 is first inserted in the collar -17, which is turned to the proper angle to receive it, and pressure is then exerted lengthwise of the pole until the spring 29 is sufficiently compressed to allow the projections 27 to be swung down past the hook-like members 14 until they come opposite the recesses thereof, into which they will be forced by the spring 29. Both of these operations are readily and quickly performed by hand without the aid of any special tools and are so simple that any one can easily perform them. Moreover, the application and removal of the pole are effected without in any wise affecting the vertical or horizontal pivotal connections or the spring connections or adjustments of the support proper, of which the arm 7, to which the trolley-base is connected, forms a permanent art.

Although the structure as it has been described up to this point is in itself a firm, efii- In this con- 1 cient, and reliable connection between the trolley-pole and its support, I have provided as an additional safeguard means for positively locking the trolley-pole against accidental disconnection froin the support. To this end the base is provided, preferably, on the under side of the socket member 23 with a downwardly-extending locking projection 34, which passes through a slot 35 in the bottom of the trough-like extension 12 of the arm 7, below which bottom it projects. A latch 36 is pivoted on the under side of the trough-like extension 12 between lugs 37, which. extend downward therefrom at the lower or inner end of the slot 35, and the pivot-bolt is indicated by the reference-numeral 38. A spring 39 acts to hold the latch 36 in either one of two positions, said latch being provided at its pivoted end with two angularly arranged surfaces 40 and 41, against either one of which the spring 39 may bear. When said spring bears against the surface 40, as shown in the drawings, it holds the latch in the position shown immediately in front of the locking projection 34 and prevents any movement of the base in a direc tion such as would free it from its engagement with the hook members 14. When the latch is swung around so that the s ring 39 bears against the surface 41, whicr movement may be readily accomplished by means of a finger hold or grasp 42 on the latch, said latch is then held out of the path of the projection 34, and the trolley-pole base may be readily disengaged from the support-arm in the manner hereinbefore described. From this description it will be seen that the latch 36 must be positively swung out of the way of the base projection before the pole can be removed, so that accidental disengagement of the pole from the support is positively prevented.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A. trolley-support com )rising a standard swiveled to turn aroun a vertical axis, and a spring-controlled arm pivoted to said standard to turn around a horizontal axis, said arm having hook projections and an opposing abutment, in combination with a tro'lley-pole, and a base therefor having projections to engage the projections of the arm, and a spring acting against the abutment to hold said projections in engagement, substantially as described.

2. A trolley-support comprising a standard swiveled to turn around a vertical axis, and a spring-controlled arm pivoted to said standard to turn around a horizontal axis,

said arm having hook projections and an oposing abutment, in combination with a tro Fey-pole, and a base comprising a split socket in which the trolley pole is adjustably clamped, said base being provided with projections to engage the projectionsof the arm and with a spring acting against the abutment to hold said projections in engagement,

substantially as described.

3. A trolley-support comprising a standard swiveled to turn around a vertical axis, 1 and a spring-controlled arm pivoted to said standard to turn around a horizontal axis, said arm having hook projections and an opposing abutment, in combination with a troley-pole, a base therefor having projections to engage the projections of the arm, and a tailpiece or extension adapted to enter the abutment-collar, and a spring coiled on said tailpiece or extension and adapted to bear against the abutment-collar, substantially as described.

5. In a trolley-support, an arm provided with hook projections and an opposed pivoted abutment-collar, in combination with a trolley-pole, and a base therefor comprising a gage the hook projections of the arm and with a tailpiece or extension having a spring coiled thereon, said tailpiece or extension being adapted to engage the abutment-collar, against which collar the spring is adapted to bear, substantially as described.

6. In a trolley-support, an arm provided With hook projections and an opposmg abutment, in combination with a trolley-pole, a the projections of the arm, a spring acting base therefor having projections to engage against the abutment to hold said projections in engagement, and a locking projection, the arm being provided with a latch movable into the path of said locking projection to hold the base against longitudinal movement to disengage the same, substantially as described.

7. In a trolleyole support of the character described, a po e-b ase having an extension and a collar provided with a spiral groove depressed near its end to form a shoulder, in combination with a spiral spring encircling said extension and fitting said groove, the spring being deflected near its end to form a s oulder engaging the shoulder of the groove, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB M. OLINGER. 

